And there we were…once again…standing on the side of the road after dark… with no way to get home. We ran across the highway to flag down a taxi going the direction we just came from, but none of them were stopping. There were no more buses in sight either. We were trapped on the wrong side of the river after accidentally taking the wrong bus. Eventually, Tee spotted a little coffee shack that was still open next to a hostel across the street. So she and Kendra ran back over to see if they could help us call a taxi.
Meanwhile, Lan and I continued to wave to try to get a taxi. We said a quick prayer that God would be able to provide a taxi for us so that we could make it home safely. Still, there weren’t that many passing us by, and the ones that did were full of people already. As we kept frantically waving our arms, Lan made a thumbs up and jokingly said, “Hitchhike?” Frustrated, I said, “Honestly, at this point I’ll hitchhike with anyone who speaks English.”
All of a sudden, we got a taxi to turn back around and park on the other side of the road. As we went to talk to the driver, Tee and Kendra started yelling, “No, don’t get in! We’ve got a ride!” Confused, we went over to see what they were talking about. Apparently, a man named Johnny and his mother owned the coffee shack, and he spoke perfect English. Not only that, but they offered to drive us all the way back to the YWAM base we are staying at for whatever we wanted to pay them. They wanted to make sure we got home safe because there were no more buses and taxis are not safe and charge ridiculous prices that late at night.
So we all piled in the backseat of Johnny’s car with his mother in the passenger seat. We got the opportunity to talk with him as he drove, and it was awesome to get to hear a little bit about his life. He’s been able to travel to many different countries, since he worked for a cruise line, and that’s where he met his girlfriend who is from Croatia. His dream is to one day open a real café and be able to use the coffee beans grown on his own farm. In the end, we made it home safely and probably thanked Johnny and his mother a million times for saving our lives.
We were so in awe that God placed us in the right place at the right time. It is very rare to come across someone who speaks English in general (and Lord knows our Spanglish wouldn’t have gotten us far lol). But for us to have happened to get off at that specific stop right next to the coffee shack where Johnny spoke perfect English right as it was closing… it was so clearly a God thing.
The funny thing was, we had been praying for a taxi, but we got something so much better! Little did I know as I joked about hitchhiking with anyone who speaks English, that’s exactly what ended up happening! I’ll be the first to admit that I always think I know what I need in life. It can be easy to limit my own prayers and decisions based on my lack of understanding and faith. I’m so grateful that God always gives me exactly what I need, even if it’s not what I was asking for.
-Catherine Choquette 🙂
P.S. Thank you guys for all of your prayers! I can’t wait to share more stories from my time in Panama! Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any of my updates! Also, thank you so much to everyone who has financially supported me as well! I am only $4,910 away from being fully funded! So if you feel led to donate, just click the orange “Donate!” button at the top of the page. I love and miss you all! Thank you for being a part of my journey!
